Michele Meyer-Shipp
Chief Diversity Officer
KPMG LLP
Headquarters: New York, NY
Business: Professional services
Website: www.kpmg.com
“At KPMG, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is embedded in our values and core to our beliefs. More than a business imperative, diversity and inclusion is a moral imperative that influences everything we do—how we attract and develop next generation leaders, orchestrate the delivery of our work, engage in corporate citizenship and build public trust,” says U.S. Chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie. “All are essential to sustaining our business and the communities where we live and work. In these transformative times, as businesses embrace new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotic process automation, to reinvent themselves, it’s more critical than ever to harness the ingenuity and experiences of everyone in the organization in order to adapt, grow, and thrive.”
In 2018, KPMG made substantial strides in honoring that commitment to inclusion and diversity by doing the following:
- Hiring the firm’s first full-time chief diversity officer
- Launching an ongoing dialogue addressing differences across the firm via the “DINE” Model and “Day of Understanding” initiatives
- Launching multiple sponsorship and mentorship programs across functions and employee resource groups
- Instituting a firm-wide unconscious bias education program
- Hosting the Leadership Essential Series program for employee resource groups
In 2019, the firm plans to partner with talent acquisition and talent development to proactively source a diverse pool of talent and provide robust development for that talent to ensure advancement and retention; drive the strategic engagement of partners and employees through a firm-wide network of Inclusion Councils and Diversity Networks; continue to raise awareness and insight about inclusion and the multiple dimensions of diversity through a robust offering of education and awareness programming; and position the firm externally as a diversity and inclusion thought leader in the marketplace.
KPMG’s Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council (IDEC) comprises members of senior leadership, including its new chief diversity officer, Michele Meyer-Shipp. The Council advises, informs, and helps put into operation KPMG’s inclusion and diversity strategy; recommends I&D priorities to the firm’s management committee; helps embed I&D in KPMG’s business and culture; and helps ensure a consistent employee experience for diverse talent.
To measure progress and drive accountability, the IDEC uses a scorecard that tracks diverse headcount, assignments to/experiences with priority client accounts, high performance turnover, promotions, and mentoring. It enables leadership to establish and monitor progress against function- and team-specific diversity goals.
